FALL SHED: WHY ARE MY LASHES FALLING OUT FASTER?

Usually I can go 3-4 weeks, but I'm barely making it two weeks between fills!

You may be asking yourself or your lash artist the very same question, "What's going on?"

Welcome to the Fall Shed. That's right, it's that dreaded time of the year that lash artists and clients both fear. Newer lash artists who are unaware of Fall Shed begin questioning their skills and clients begin questioning if they're doing something wrong. Good news is, it's not you and it's not your lash artist. All humans experience this season of increased hair shedding. But why?

To understand Fall Shed, you must first understand how your hair grows.

THE 3 PHASES

ANAGEN

In the anagen phase the hair is rooted to the follicle and it is receiving nutrients from your blood which promotes healthy growth. Have you ever tweezed or waxed, then immediately noticed spot bleeding? This is because the hair was pulled out during this active growth phase. Hair pulled out in this phase will often damage the hair follicle and can ultimately result in a dormant follicle that produces no hair. Which is great for unwanted hair in your bikini line, but not for your lashes and brows!

CATAGEN

In the catagen phase the hair is no longer growing or receiving nutrients and the follicle begins to collapse. 

TELOGEN

The last 100 days of the cycle, the hair is in the telogen or resting stage. The hair is detached and ready to be shed. Roughly 10% of all the hairs on your body, including your lashes, are in the telogen phase. On average you will loose up to 100 hairs and 3-5 lashes per day. 

Once the hair sheds, the cycle starts again. This entire cycle for all the hair on your body takes between 3 and 5 years. 

SO, WHY DOES "FALL SHED" HAPPEN?

No one really knows...

Disappointing isn't it. 

We do have some hints though. Swedish scientists examining this phenomenon suggest that,

Women grow more hair during summer months to protect their scalps from hot sun and ultraviolet radiation. Come autumn, this additional growth is no longer required and is therefore shed."

They discovered that at the end of summer there was an increased percentage of hair in the telogen phase among the women tested. Because the telogen phase always precedes shedding, it makes since that more noticeable hair shedding was observed during the fall season. Fall Shed usually begins around the first week in October and will come to an end in December.